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references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Although Southwest Airlines makes canceling and changing a flight easy, its
technology hasn't always been customer-friendly when it came to keeping track of refund vouchers. Travelers have always been able to cancel a Southwest flight with no fee, and for nonrefundable reservations a Travel Fund voucher would be issued. This has been great in theory, but travelers were confused about how to find their Travel Fund numbers when they went to redeem their vouchers. Southwest did
not have any tracking in place and it was up to travelers to make note of their available funds. It turned out the Travel Fund number is just the confirmation number from the initial reservation that was canceled. That all changed for flights canceled on or after Dec. 3, 2019. According to Deals We Like, Southwest will now keep track of your
Southwest Travel Funds for you. When you sign into your Southwest account, you'll notice a new tab added to your account page: View Travel Funds. Related: The best Southwest credit cards of 2019
Sign up for our daily newsletter However, many travelers' accounts will currently state that there are no Travel Funds found since this technology was just put in place last week and Travel Funds received prior to Dec. 3, 2019 still need to be tracked manually. You can still check your balance on Southwest's Travel Fund
lookup page. As of now, there is no way to add them to the account tracker. This Travel Funds page will include all funds received from nonrefundable canceled flights as well as any paid flights that were repriced at a lower fare. Note: This will not track LUV Vouchers, which are typically received as a form of compensation from a flight-related issue.
Related: How to reprice a flight when the fare decreases
When you go to pay for your flight, you'll still have to manually enter your Travel Fund information. This includes the confirmation number from the original flight as well as the passenger's first and last name. Keep in mind that Travel Funds, unlike LUV Vouchers, aren't transferrable.
Travel Funds expire 12 months from the date the original flight was booked — not from when the flight was canceled and the Travel Funds issued. This expiration date is also a "must-fly-by date" not a "book-by date." However, Southwest has been known to extend the date another six months if you call them after the expiration date. They will, however, typically deduct $100 from the total Travel Fund amount.
Also know that when combining a Travel Fund with another form of payment, if you cancel the latest reservation, the entire amount paid will inherit the earliest expiration date. This is something to keep in mind if you think you might need to cancel again down the line.
Related: Southwest Travel Fund reader mistake story
Bottom line
This is a good enhancement to Southwest's ticketing technology and will help travelers keep track of their Travel Funds. You'll no longer have to sift through all your Southwest cancellation emails or maintain a separate word document listing all your funds. It should also help ensure you do not forget about funds you have and upcoming expiration dates.
Related: Battle of the Airlines: Why I think Southwest Airlines is the best
Featured image by AFP/Getty Images
Subject: Travel funds without a confirmation number Search your email account and put in the search field (Southwest) and search for May 2016. Or call Southwest Airlines and give them the credit card number you would have used to purchase this ticket. They should be able to give you the amount and conformation number. Re: Confirmation number You’ll probably have figured this out by now, but it’s the six-digit code (letters and numbers) that was on your confirmation email when you bought the ticket, if you have that email from Southwest, the confirmation number will be over there. How do I link my Southwest flight? To add your Rapid Rewards number to your booking on Southwest.com,
click Flight/Hotel/Car at the top of the screen. Under Flight, select Manage Bookings. From there, search for your flight using one of the two available options and click Add Rapid Rewards number next to your name. Many airlines will also display your confirmation number on screen right after you book, even before an email is sent, and the code will also appear on your
boarding pass once you check in. If you have trouble finding it, call the airline. Unfortunately, Southwest can no longer look up your confirmation number using a credit card. But they can help you if you have the ticket number or (at a minimum) flight information: Applying travel funds: If your travel plans change and you need to apply travel funds for future trips, please write down your confirmation number. How can I view my South West reservation? On the Southwest website home page, click the link to manage
trips, check in online, or change your reservations. Click on the link “Find the confirmation number”. Select “Credit Card Number” to search for your reservation using the credit card number you used to purchase your Southwest flight ticket.What is my Southwest confirmation number?
How can I find my flight confirmation number?
Where can I find my Southwest Airlines
confirmation number?
How to check Southwest Airlines account credit amount?
Hi, go to the Southwest Airlines main page. Click on Flight/hotel/car then on the left click on book a flight. then look under the Southwest logo, you will see Manage Booking, click on it. Then under the logo you will see show travel funds again, click on it, Tags: Check credits.
How do I retrieve a southwest itinerary without a confirmation number?
Visit the Southwest Airlines website to retrieve your travel itinerary (southwest.com). On the Southwest website home page, click the link to manage trips, check in online, or change your reservations. Click on the link “Find the confirmation number”.
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